How to Simplify Your Holiday Entertaining

When our children were younger, Dave and I quickly realized it was much easier to host a party at our house than load up everything we needed for all the kids, and then deal with crabby kids who weren’t able to nap in a new location or didn’t get to bed on time.

This eventually led to us hosting the majority of our family parties over the years.

And while it does take some extra effort to host a gathering (even if you try to keep things simple) we generally enjoy having others over — especially during the holidays.

If you’re entertaining this holiday season, here are 10 simple tips that should help things go a bit smoother — and allow you to actually enjoy your time with family and friends!

1. Only clean what the guests see.

I’m not encouraging you to stuff things in your back closet or under your bed, but I AM telling you not to waste time cleaning every nook and cranny of your home before your guests arrive.

Not only will they NOT notice if your upstairs hall closet is perfectly organized or if the baseboard behind your couch is dust-free; but they also won’t care (or at least they shouldn’t).

My mantra is that the house should be clean enough for my family and guests to feel comfortable… but not to the point where I spend days cleaning and organizing beforehand.

Personally, I make sure the bathrooms and kitchen are clean, the living room and entryways are decluttered, and the floors are vacuumed/swept.

This is good enough for me… and I can do it all in under an hour.

2. And… clean out your fridge!

Even though your guests might not see inside your fridge right away, chances are they will need to go in your fridge at some time during your party, especially if they need to refrigerate their food until it’s time to eat.

I usually try to have my kitchen fridge as empty as possible when we’re hosting a big event so there’s plenty of room for extra food, drink, and leftovers.

If you have an extra fridge, consider moving your non-needed items (like various condiments, breakfast items, and anything else you won’t be using for this party). And if you don’t have an extra fridge, you might consider loading up a cooler with ice and storing the non-needed items on your back porch.

Fridge space fills up fast, and it’s nice to have a clean, decluttered fridge to offer your guests.

3. Designate a spot for coats, shoes, bags, etc.

For the first 8 years of homeownership, we didn’t have a mudroom (or even an entryway closet), so it was important to designate a space for everyone’s coats, shoes, bags, etc.

Now, thanks to our mudroom addition, we have a fantastic spot for everyone to dump their gear.  It’s completely out of the way (and mostly out of sight) but still very accessible if anyone needs to head out to their car, get something from our garage, or wants to hang out in our outbuilding.

If you don’t have a mudroom (and you don’t want everyone dropping their shoes and bags directly in front of your door) I’d suggest taking people’s coats and bags when they arrive and laying them on your bed, hanging them in the laundry room, or putting them somewhere relatively close to the entryway.

Then bring extra rugs or towels over to the entryway for all the shoes. Make sure these rugs are close enough to your door to be easily accessible, but not too close that they hinder traffic flow when guests arrive.

My Christmas gift to myself last year was new giant rugs for our mudroom — I’m SO thankful for how much dirt and junk they keep out of our home!

4. Spread out the food and drinks.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider our house small — it’s a great size for our family. However, it starts to feel fairly crowded when 20+ people are all huddled around the kitchen island.

I don’t like feeling crowded (I’m claustrophobic!), so our first choice is always to entertain outside — either on the lawn, in the garage, by the pool, or in our outbuilding. However, when we’re inside, I usually try to spread the food throughout the main living areas.

For example:

• Cold Drinks: I set up a drinks station next to the refrigerator with cups, ice, water, pop, etc.
• Hot Drinks: During cold weather, I’ll set up the Keurig and hot water kettle in another part of the kitchen with coffee pods, homemade hot chocolate mix, tea bags, and all the fun “toppings.
• Appetizers: I’ll often put plates of appetizers on coffee tables or side tables so people can munch while they sit around and mingle.
• Hot Foods: I use our kitchen island for hot foods as it has access to plugs for slow cookers and it’s heat resistant.
• Desserts: I usually put desserts (with more plates and napkins) in our office, which is open to the living room and has hard floors for easy cleanup!

It doesn’t take much additional work on my part, and it forces my guests to spread out and mingle instead of hovering over the tiny food table in the kitchen.

5. Use paper and plastic.

I know it’s not exactly eco-friendly, but it makes clean-up SO much faster and easier.

Unless you’re having a formal sit-down dinner, I highly encourage the use of paper and plastic plates, napkins, cups, and maybe even utensils.

NOTE: do your guests a favor and purchase large, sturdy plates for the main meal — even if they are boring white Chinet. Feel free to use cute holiday-themed paper goods as napkins, dessert plates, or even for the appetizers! 😉

I usually set out Sharpie markers so everyone can label their cups (especially if kids are involved). I also set out several trash cans and recycling bags so it’s obvious where the trash needs to go… and so I (hopefully) don’t end up with piles and piles of cups and plates on my counter!

If you’re not comfortable using paper and plastic, I’d suggest scouring local thrift stores for light-weight, stackable, white plates (I like the Corelle brand as they don’t break easily) and extra sets of cutlery so you have plenty of dishes to go around.

Also, I’ve gotten into the habbit of using disposable tinfoil pans whenever possible — they are lightweight, stackable, and make cleanup so much easier! I find mine at the dollar store or on Amazon.

6. Triple-line all trash cans.

Speaking of trash and clean up… save yourself a bit of mess and put three trash bags in every trash can.

Not only does this help protect against a ripped bag that leaks gross stuff all over your trash can, it also makes it really easy to take out the trash when it gets full. You don’t have to mess with putting another bag in… just remove the old bag and you’re ready to go.

Also, if you use Tip #4 and spread out your food, make sure you also offer trash cans (triple lined!) at each of those food locations.

NOTE: almost every time we host anything, someone comments on how “smart” it is to triple-line the trash cans. It sounds simple, but it can be a game-changer during (and after) your party!

7. Have extra food on hand.

As the host, there are times when I make all the food. But more often, the event is a potluck and everyone brings a dish to pass.

I usually give some helpful suggestions as to the recipes or types of food I’m looking for (appetizers, desserts, vegetables, salads, etc.). However, I’ve never hosted a party where everyone showed up and brought what they said they were going to bring. 🙄

This used to bug me (a lot), but now I just plan ahead and make a few extra items that can go in the freezer if we don’t need them.

For example, I always have this super quick appetizer on hand and I’ll usually make a few extra desserts or snacks just in case. If we don’t need them, I put them in the freezer for later — but if we run out of food, I can quickly grab them from the pantry.

Here are a few of the non-perishable foods I like to keep on hand:

• a variety of chips and dip
• tortilla chips and salsa / guac
• popcorn
• trail mix / chex mix
• several different types of crackers
• salami, summer sausage, and beef jerky (they freeze great and last for a long time)
• a variety of block cheeses that can be quickly sliced
• hummus — great for veggies, crackers, pita bread
• this from-a-box bundt cake (it stays moist for several days and freezes well)
• Rice Chex bars — they are a great gluten-free option

RELATED READING: 10 Tips for Bringing a Dish to Pass

8. Serve a “Signature Drink”.

If you’re looking for a way to simplify your hosting duties and save a bunch of money, consider serving a “signature drink” as your main (or only) beverage option.

Obviously, water is always available (maybe coffee too) but I love serving this Holiday Punch for gatherings all throughout the year. The recipe can easily be tweaked to fit every season, any holiday, and even different color schemes. Plus, everyone loves it!

9. Provide disposable containers for leftovers.

If possible, I like to pack up leftovers in disposable containers so we can fit everything in the fridge (our nicely cleaned-out fridge 😂) and wash the original dishes.

This is especially helpful for all-day events when unwashed dishes get smelly and baked food gets crusted on.

Purchase inexpensive to-go containers, use extra plates wrapped with aluminum foil or Press ‘n Seal wrap, or pull out your extra yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and Cool-Whip containers.

Depending on your guest’s preferences and how many leftovers you have, you might even consider letting them choose their leftovers — maybe take a little sampling of everything back home for an easy leftover meal the next day.

It’s so nice to send your guests home with clean dishes and yummy leftovers. Plus, the kitchen and eating areas feel much neater and cleaner without food and dirty dishes sitting out all day.

10. Let your guests help.

This is a hard one for me… but I’m slowly getting better at it!

I have a friend who intentionally never has the food ready when guests arrive, and she puts them to work in the kitchen to help her get the meal on the table.

I’m still a bit too independent and timely to pull that off, but I do think guests generally want to feel useful when they are being hosted by a friend or relative.

Let them help restock snacks, clear the table, dry dishes, or pack up leftovers.

NOTE: Now that we have a living area in our kitchen, it’s literally the gathering spot for all our guests — they sit and chat while I finish the meal. It’s one of my favorite things about our 2020 “room swap”!

A Few Bonus Tips:

• Keep cleaning supplies handy for inevitable spills (this is my favorite carpet stain spray).
• Consider providing printed recipe cards for some of your “signature dishes”.
• Burn candles in bathrooms (if you can do it safely) and have room spray available.
• Provide a bowl of gum, mints, and my favorite floss sticks after the meal.
• Intentionally place card games or fun ice-breaker games throughout your home.
• Don’t be a helicopter host — unless you’re hosting a 5-year-olds birthday party, your guests can do most things themselves!

If you’re hosting any type of event this holiday season (or any time of year), I’m confident these tips will help you to simplify and de-stress the whole process — and hopefully, even enjoy your party a little bit more!

What are your best tips to simplify holiday entertaining?